Rotary printing-press.



' No. 823,387. PATBNTED JUNE 12, 1906.

B. P. BERRY.

ROTARY PRINTING PRESS. APPLICATION FILED 313.16, 1905.

9r I/A I M I 9 z'zaie r ZLBQr-r- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. BERRY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED PRINTING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

A CORPORATION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1906.

Application filed February 16. 1905. Serial No. 245,859.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. BERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new' and useful Improvements in Rotary Printing-Presses, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in rotary printing-presses, and has for its object the provision of means whereby a limited degree of play in the driving-gears of the form and impression cylinders may be permitted during the printing action and whereby said cylinders are driven through the-medium of a single source of power throughout the print ing action communicated from the form-cyl- 'inder to the impression-cylinder in order that said cylinders may rotate in harmony and without conflict between the primary driving-gear members and the auxiliary engaging cylinder-gear members.

A further object of my improvement is to position cylinder-driving means within the framework of a printing-press so that they are located in juxtaposition to the cylinder instead of being remote from the cylinder, as they are when located exterior of the frame in the usual manner. In the use of rotary printing-presses the impression-cylinder is frequently packed by wrappin sheets of paper thereon to compensate for t e unevenness of the type or forms printed from and which are carried by the form cylinder. This packing has the effect of increasing the diameter of the impression-cylinder, and as a consequence the periphery of said cylinder is brought closer to the periphery of the use of my auxiliary driving-gears located within the framework and close to the cylinders said gears are always in ap roximate alinement with the cylinders, and t e spreading or bowing of the cylinders does not interfere with proper printing action when the impression-cylinder is packed.

Figure I is a side elevation of the primary driving gear-wheels of my press with one of the form-cylinder spindles in cross-section, taken on line I I, Fig. II. Fig. II is a View, partly in elevation and partly in section, of the form and impression cylinders partly broken out and the main and auxiliary gear members. Fig. III is a side elevation of the auxiliary gear-wheels. Fig. IV is an enlarged view of a fragment of the primary impression-cylinder-driving gear-wheel and the segment of the crank-arm fixed to a spindle of the impression-cylinder. Fig. V is a view looking at the toothed face of the parts shown in Fig. IV. Fig. VI is an enlarged cross-section taken on line VI VI, Fig. I.

l designates the form-cylinder of my press, which is rotatably supported by spindles 2 and 3.

4 is a main driving gear-wheel fixed to the form-cylinder spindle 2, by which the formcylinder is positively driven.

5 is a primary driving gear-wheel, also fixed to the form-cylinder spindle 2.

6 designates an impression-cylinder rotatably supported by spindles 7 and 8.

9 is a primary impression-cylinder-driving gear-wheel loosely mounted upon the spindle 7 and arranged in mesh with the primary gear-wheel 5. This gear-wheel, including a portion of its teeth, is cut out at one side, as seen in Figs. I, II, and IV to VI, inclusive, to provide a pocket 10.

11 designates a crank-arm fixed to the impression-cylinder spindle 7 and occupying the pocket 10 in the loosely mounted primary gear-wheel 9. This crank-arm is provided with a segment 12, that occupies the space betweenthe cut-out teeth of the gearwheel 9, and which is adapted to lay \Vlthlll said space to a limited degree, t e teeth at each end of said segment being more widely spaced apart than the teeth at the center of the segment, which correspond in size and spacing to the teeth of said gear-wheel. The

ment.

degree offplay of the looselyanounted gear-' located at opposite sides of the crank-armand seated in cars 9, projecting from the face of the gear-wheel 9 at the sides of the pocket 10 therein.

14 designates a mutilated secondary gearwheel fixed to the spindle 3 of the form-cylinder '1 and having a blank space 14 intervening between its peripheral teeth which corresponds in' location to the intervening space between the ends of the form on said formcylinder.

15 is a secondary mutilated gear-wheel fixed to the impression-cylinder spindle 8 and arranged in mesh with the secondary gear-wheel 14. This gear-wheel is provided with a blank space 15, intervening between its peripheral teeth and corresponding in location to the location of the space intervening between the ends of the printing-impression surface of the impression-cylinder.

In the practical use of a printing-press having my improvement incorporated therein the operation is as follows: The formcylinder 1 is continually rotated through the medium of power applied to the main driving gear-wheel 4 and during such rotation the primary and secondary gear-wheels 5 and 14, fixed to the spindles of said cylinder, rotate therewith. During the rotation of the primary driving-gear wheel 5 it meshes with the loosely-mounted primary gearwheel 9, thereby rotating said gear-wheel and carrying therewith the crank-arm 11, that is seatedin the pocket 10 ofsaid wheel. Initially this action continues until the segment 12 of said crank-arm, which is fixed to a spindle of the impression cylinder, as described, is brought into mesh with the teeth of the primary gear-wheel 5, the intermeshing of the teeth of said members being facilitated by the widening of the spaces between the teeth 'at the advancing end of the crank-arm seg- At the same time that the crank-arm is brought into mesh with the primary wheel 5 the secondary gear-wheels 14 and 15are rotated to bring the blank spaces between their peripheral teeth into juxtaposition. With the parts in the positions stated the continued rotation of the primary gear-wheel 5 causes motion to be imparted directly therefrom through the crank-arm 11 to the impressioncylinder 6, so that the form-cylinder and impression-cylinder will be for a brief period rotated uniformly, while the segment of said crank-arm is in mesh with the teeth of the primary gear-wheel 5. This period of engagement is sufiicient to cause the secondary gear-wheels 14 and 15 to be rotated in opposite directions until the advancing teeth adj acent to the blank spaces of said wheels are placed in mesh, at which time the primary and secondary gear-wheels will be in the positions illustrated most clearly Figs. I. and III, in which the direction of rotation of the wheels is indicated by arrows. The engagement of the crankarm segment 12 with the primary gear-wheel 5 is only of sufficient duration to provide for the intermeshing of the first few advancing teeth of the secondary gear-wheels, and such engagement is discontinued by the crank-arm segment being carried out of engagement with the primary gear-wheel 5 previous to the printing action. The separation of said segment from said primary gear-wheel is facilitated by the'wider spacing of the teeth of said segment at its rear end. After the crank-arm segment has become separated from the primary gear-wheel 5 the primary gear-wheel 9 is rotated loosely upon its spindle by the primary gear-wheel 5 and without driving effect, and during the printing action the secondary gear-wheel 14 operates to drive the secondary gear-wheel 15, with which it is in mesh, and therefore the form and impression cylinders geared together by these secondary gear-wheels are driven in unison and harmony, while the primary gearwheels remain idle, due to the loose mounting of the primary gear-wheel 9. The formcylinder is by this means constituted the driving member for the impression-cylinder through the secondary gearing. By providing the adjustment-screws 13, carried by the loosely-mounted primary gear-wheel 9, the

play .of said gear-wheel with respect to the crank-arm 11 may be regulated at will, so as to govern the degree of lost motion between said crank-arm and gear-wheel in order that the crank-arm segment may always be brought into proper registration with the teeth of the opposing primary gear-wheel 5. 1

I claim as my invention 1. In a rotary printing-press, the combination of a form-cylinder, an impression-cylinder, means associated with one of said cylinders for driving the second cylinder and arranged to become inactive for driving effect upon the second cylinder during the printing action, and means independent of said firstnamed means gearing said cylinders to each other, substantially as set forth.

2. In a rotary printing-press, the combination of a form-cylinder, an impression-cylinder, a primary driving gear-wheel rigidly as-' sociated with one of said cylinders, a second primary gear-wheel loosely associated with the other cylinder and meshing with the first primary gear-wheel, and means rigidly associated with said last-named cylinder and loosely associated with said loose gear-wheel and arranged to be engaged by said primary driving gear wheel, substantially as set forth.

3. In a rotary printing-press, the combination of a form-cylinder, an im ression-cylinder, a primary driving gear-w eel rigidly as.-

sociated with one of said cylinders, a second primary gear-wheel loosely associated with the other cylinder and meshing with the first primary gear-wheel, means rigidly associated with said last-named cylinder and loosely associated with said loose gear-wheel and arranged to be engaged by said primary driving gear-wheel, and means independent of said first-named means gearing said cylinders to each other, substantially as set forth.

4. In a rotary printing-press, the combination of a form-cylinder, animpression-cylinder, a primary driving gear-wheel rigidly associated with one of said cylinders, a second primary gear-wheel loosely associated with the other cylinder and meshing with the first primary gear-Wheel, and a crank-arm rigidly carried by said second cylinder and having teeth arranged to intermittently engage said primary driving gear-Wheel and loosely associated with said loose primary wheel, substantially as set forth. 5. In a rotary printing-press, the combination of a form-cylinder, an impression-cylinder, a primary driving gear-wheel rigidly associated with one of said cylinders, a second primary gear-wheel loosely associated with the other cylinder and meshing with the first primary gear-wheel, a crank-arm rigidly carried by said second cylinder and having teeth arranged to intermittently engage said primary driving gear-wheel and loosely associated with said loose primary wheel, and mutilated secondary Wheels rigidly associated with said cylinders and arranged forperiodic engagement with each other, substantially as set forth.

6. In a rotary printing-press, the combination of a form-cylinder, an impression-cylinder, a primary driving gear-wheel rigidly associated with one of said cylinders, a second primary gear-wheel loosely associated with the other cylinder and meshing with the first primary gear-wheel, a crank-arm rigidly carried by said second cylinder and having teeth arranged to intermittently engage said primary driving gear-wheel and loosely associated with said loose primary wheel, and means for limiting the movement of said loose primary gear-wheel with respect to said crank-arm, substantially as set forth.

7. In a rotary printing-press, the combination of a form-cylinder, an impression-cylinder, a primary driving gear-wheel rigidly associated with one of said cylinders, a second primary gear-wheel loosely associated with the other cylinder and meshing with the first primary gear-wheel, a crank-arm rigidly carried by said second cylinder and having teeth arranged to intermittently engage said primary driving gear-wheel and loosely associated with said loose primary wheel, and adjustment-screws carried by said loose primary gear-wheel and disposed at opposite sides of said crank-arm, substantially as set forth.

BENJAMIN F. BERRY. In presence of N ELLIE V. ALEXANDER, BLANOHE I'IOGAN. 

